Aereo has plans to expand to 50 cities within the next 18 months if it wins its Supreme Court case, reports the Houston Chronicle, which recently got a tour of the Aereo facility there. The company is still keeping mum on current subscriber numbers, but CEO Chet Kanojia told the Chronicle that it’s already profitable in Houston, where it has hardware to serve up to 40,000 subscribers. Aereo has to defend itself in front of the Supreme Court in two weeks.

]]>Sprint launches LTE in clusters; promises 6-8 Mbps speedshttp://gigaom.com/2012/07/16/sprint-launches-lte-in-clusters-promises-6-8-mbps-speeds/
http://gigaom.com/2012/07/16/sprint-launches-lte-in-clusters-promises-6-8-mbps-speeds/#commentsMon, 16 Jul 2012 14:28:25 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=542876As promised Sprint(s s) launched its new LTE network this weekend, but it went beyond the five cities it designated earlier this month. In addition to turning up its 4G service in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio, Sprint went live in 10 other cities and communities in the surrounding areas of those metro markets.

Sprint released a video Sunday detailing the capabilities of the new network and devices. But in the fine print of the video’s captions, ExtremeTech spotted what Sprint is promising as its average LTE speeds: 6-8 Mbps download and 2-3 Mbps upload. The top end of that range is roughly half of the 5-12 Mbps AT&T(s t) and Verizon Wireless(s vz)(s vod) are advertising, but this is pretty much what we expected. Sprint is only using 10 MHz of spectrum for its initial LTE network, compared to 20 MHz Verizon and AT&T are using in most of their markets. Still if Sprint can consistently deliver 6 Mbps or more to a smartphone, its customers will have little to complain about.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2012/07/16/sprint-launches-lte-in-clusters-promises-6-8-mbps-speeds/feed/6Sprint LTE network goes live July 15 in five citieshttp://gigaom.com/2012/06/27/sprint-lte-network-goes-live-july-15-in-five-cities/
Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:19:59 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=537040Sprint(s s) has revealed the official launch date of its new LTE network: July 15. That Sunday it will turn on its new 4G service in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio, promising speeds that far exceed what it can provide over its CDMA networks.

Sprint has already begun seeding the market with LTE handsets, which will give customers with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and S III, the HTC EVO 4G LTE, the LG Viper 4G LTE and the Sierra Wireless(s swir) hotspot immediate access to the network in those markets. Sprint didn’t reveal any more launch markets, though it said it plans to complete its rollout by the end of 2013, covering approximately 250 million people.

As promised, Sprint will keep its unlimited data plans intact and appears to be charging the same rates for all-you-can-eat LTE data as it does for 3G and WiMAX. Sprint said unlimited smartphone plans will start at $80.

Sprint’s network won’t be quite as robust as its competitors. Sprint is using its PCS spectrum for LTE so it can only devote a maximum of 10 MHz to the new 4G network. Meanwhile Verizon(s vz)(s vod) and AT&T(s t) are deploying 20 MHz throughout most of the country. Customers, however, won’t be lacking for speed though. Even in markets where AT&T has only 10 MHz LTE networks, it’s able to deliver average download speeds in excess of 7 Mbps. Sprint’s network should offer similar performance.

]]>Mobile Tech Minutes — RunKeeper Pro for iPhonehttp://gigaom.com/2009/10/14/runkeeper-pro-for-iphone-review-video/
http://gigaom.com/2009/10/14/runkeeper-pro-for-iphone-review-video/#commentsWed, 14 Oct 2009 23:00:38 +0000http://jkontherun.com/?p=47196As an avid runner, I went out and bought a Nike+ sensor as soon as I upgraded my original iPhone to a 3GS. That solution worked OK, but I think it’s lacking for me in some areas: it has to be calibrated for accuracy, works only with certain shoes and can only be used for running or walking activities. Looking for something to compensate for those limitations, I found RunKeeper in the iTunes App Store. There’s a free version and a $9.95 RunKeeper Pro version. At half the price, I find RunKeeper Pro to be a far better value than the Nike+ sensor because of its flexibility and fewer restrictions.

In this video, I show you what the application looks like and talk about how it works by using the GPS in your handset. Some have complained that the application eats up your phone’s battery too fast, but I simply turn my iPhone display off, which helps tremendously. I did an hour-and-a-half bike ride with the application and only used up around 25% of my battery. Oh, that’s right — you can use this for cycling, which is something else I like to do. You can’t do that with a Nike+. After showing you the application, I share a walkthrough of the online tracking and logging that’s done automatically. It offers a great summary of workouts and dives into some details for those that want more.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2009/10/14/runkeeper-pro-for-iphone-review-video/feed/26Houston's Tech Scene Is Worth the Triphttp://gigaom.com/2009/04/24/houstons-tech-scene-is-worth-the-trip/
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/24/houstons-tech-scene-is-worth-the-trip/#commentsFri, 24 Apr 2009 23:51:14 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=47196Earlier today I hit The Coffee Groundz, a Houston coffee shop that’s a hit with the city’s tech community, to meet with a few startups and check out what Houston has to offer in the way of geek atmosphere. While it’s no San Francisco, where I could walk into almost any bar and find members of the latest technology startup, the place has its share of smart and savvy entrepreneurs building technology for big companies or playing off the engineering talent working in the city’s energy or health care sectors.

For example, I chatted with a guy about what it would take for utilities to adopt mobile broadband from cellular carriers for smart grid deployments. Basically, utilities want to see prices for getting broadband service on a meter drop to cents rather than dollars. In exchange, utilities could provide traffic delivered at odd times of the day when a network isn’t congested, keeping the pipes full.

I also met with Plura Processing, which is taking the idea of CPU harvesting and building a web-crawling platform on top of the resulting grid. The platform is called 80legs, and Shion Deysarkar, the chief strategy officer, likens it to a distributed cloud. We chatted about what it means to host a distributed network as residential bandwidth becomes more constrained. I was impressed they were even thinking about it.

All in all, I enjoyed talking technology, entrepreneurship and generally stepping away from the computer to inteface with our readers. Thanks, guys for making my afternoon, and thanks to Marc Nathan at the Houston Technology Center for helping make it come together.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2009/04/24/houstons-tech-scene-is-worth-the-trip/feed/1Houston Powers City With Hot Airhttp://gigaom.com/2008/07/03/houston-powers-city-with-hot-air/
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:51 +0000http://earth2tech.com/?p=2646The city of Houston has signed a contract to get a quarter of its municipal government power needs from wind farms. This is significant not only because Houston is the oil and gas capital of the country, but because it needs a lot of power. It’s the fourth-largest city in the nation, and it’s built on a swamp near the tropics. Those government air conditioning needs are not small.

Houston officials have contracted with Goldman Sachs and Reliant Energy to provide 40 MW of power at 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour for the next five years. The city uses an average of 160 MW to power its municipal buildings (this doesn’t include residential or business users in the city). The cost is less than the current 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour that natural gas providers are offering.

The power that the city buys won’t necessarily come directly from wind turbines. Because wind power is intermittent — it is produced only when the wind blows hard enough — the city’s contract calls for back-up power to come from conventional sources. But the energy companies will certify that an equal and offsetting amount of power will be produced by Texas wind farms.

This essentially promises that any conventional power used for Houston’s “clean” 40 MW will be offset by using the same amount of clean energy in other places. We’ve all seen the tenuous nature of carbon offsets, and we’re wondering if these certifications might become more tenuous as the demand for wind power exceeds the ability to produce it.

If the wind doesn’t blow or wind power is pledged for other resources, then finding wind power for an offset could be a challenge — and an expensive one.

]]>Add a port replicator though an ExpressCard slothttp://gigaom.com/2007/12/05/add-a-port-repl/
http://gigaom.com/2007/12/05/add-a-port-repl/#commentsWed, 05 Dec 2007 19:22:08 +0000http://jkontherun.wordpress.com/2007/12/05/add-a-port-replAs the move away from PCMCIA slots ensues, I suspect we’ll see more ExpressCard peripherals over the next few years. This port replicator is a perfect example, although at $300 it’s nearly the price of a wireless USB dock. Still, if you need four more USBs, DVI & VGA out, Gigabit Ethernet and audio connections galore, this might be a nice gift under the Christmas tree. Bear in mind you’ll be limited in your travels with this particular model as it requires power through the AC adapter. Maybe this doesn’t belong under the tree, but on your desk instead?While we’re on the subject of ExpressCards: other than modem cards, what are you using your ExpressCard slot for these days? Shout out some peripherals and the machine(s) you’re using them with!(via SlashGear)
]]>http://gigaom.com/2007/12/05/add-a-port-repl/feed/2Vid-Biz: Condé Naste, Spotzer, FCChttp://gigaom.com/2007/11/28/vid-biz-cond-naste-spotzer-fcc/
Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:28:30 +0000http://newteevee.com/2007/11/28/vid-biz-cond-naste-spotzer-fcc/Condé Naste’s Web Strategy Yielding Results; magazine publisher has found success by creating web sites around topics, not individual magazine titles; also has struck a deal with YouTube. (The Wall Street Journal)

Spotzer Media Raises 10 Million Euros; financing of the video ad company was led by Sierra Ventures, with European Directories participating; money will be used to fund U.S. expansion. (News & Observer)

FCC Scales Back Cable Regulation Stance; decision over whether cable industry had grown too dominant postponed, but all not lost as new rule makes it cheaper for programmers to lease channels. (The New York Times)

Eyeballs Will Stay With Old TeeVee; survey says most media execs think broadband will makes gains, but television will remain dominant through 2012. (The Hollywood Reporter)

VH-1 Releases New Mobile Series; the animated The Misadventures of Bob Paparazzo is about a bumbling photographer. (MediaWeek)

]]>Syntax, cheap but not on featureshttp://gigaom.com/2004/11/18/syntax-cheap-but-not-on-features/
Fri, 19 Nov 2004 04:12:06 +0000http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2004/11/18/syntax-cheap-but-not-on-features/Syntax, is one company that makes LCD televisions for the masses. Today they introduced some high end features for their upcoming 32 and 37 inch LCD televisions which are going to sell for $2000 and $3000 respectively. I am starting to save my pennies.
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